Never Forget
by white pedal
Summary: Tomoe's thoughts and final moments, with her realization, grief and guilt, and what led to her to give her second love his scar and what she never wants him to forget.


_**I saw the first Kenshin OVA was so sad:( Tomoe was so sweet and her sacrifice was amazing, I just had to write this!**_

* * *

Since Akira's death, vengeance was all I could think of. While I still had my brother, I could not allow my fiance's death to be in vain, especially because of this terrible war that Akira felt obligated to join and postponed our wedding for.

But I wasn't after any soldier...no...I was after the one who took my love from me, the an who stole my happiness and mine and Akira's chance's to have a life together and have a family.

He was the governments personal assassin, the man who kills anyone he is told to kill, even if for something pitiful, he was Battōsai Himura, or as he is called by many, Battōsai the manslayer.

I wanted him dead, I wanted him to pay for what had to done and suffer the way he made me suffer taking my love from me. When the Yaminobu asked me to join them to assassinate the Battōsai, I joined them without hesitation and made it my goal to destroy him and end this war once and for all.

When I met him I wanted him dead right then and there...but then something happened.

The more I got to know him, the more that I saw that he wasn't a monster like people said he was. When he was young his family and village died from Cholera and was left alone in the world, but met some kind women who were slaves and raised him up until they passed away, and since then the world was cruel to him. And when he picked up a sword for the first time, that was only then people took notice of him. They trained him to be a swordsmen day and night without mercy, stripping him of his individuality and humanity just so they can make him their mindless soldier, and when they were finished with him they would make him their casualty for their war crimes.

That's when I learnt that he never wanted this, and he didn't know that Akira was my fiance. He was told to kill him by the officers...he was lost, and all he wanted was peace.

Before long I married him, and while I still love Akira, Battōsai became my second love as we had more in common than I thought. We are afraid to show our true selves, long to have a peaceful life ourselves, I loved him...I really did.

Then on the day I introduced him to my brother, the Yaminobu attacked. I was a traitor to them for marrying my new husband, but they were not going to leave empty handed until Battōsai was dead for killing their men.

As I watched my husband fight the leader of the Yaminobu, I started to feel a horrible feeling. When I looked back, I saw him, Akira...covered in blood but had his sweet smile as always and held a bloody flower to me like on the day he proposed. Then he vanished.

That's when I realized that this all began because of me. I was never known for my emotions, and while I was happy on the day Akira proprosed to me, I didn't show my happiness to him and in turn I made him feel unworthy...something I never intended to make him feel. And it was because of me lacking my happiness to him that he thought he had to prove his worth to me by joining the army just so he can make me proud of him and have me show my love to him when I already loved him with all my heart. While it was Battōsai who killed him, I was the one who led him to his death because of me making him feel worthless.

And then there is Battōsai, he killed my love but he was a victim of this war and the government who had him stain his hands with millions of people's blood because he was ordered to. He didn't know that Akira was my love and I lied to him about who I was just so I can get close enough to kill him, our meeting wasn't fate but was orchistrated and I played with his emotions and feelings until I fell in love with him. And now here he is, in a battle to the death because I led the Yaminobu to him out of my blind desire for revenge when he finally regained his humanity and wants to repent for his sins and be a better man. I married him but I remembered why I was with him, to kill him, and he didn't deserve this.

I have hurt two men that I loved; one is dead, and another is about to die because of me, all because I kept myself closed from people, and because I lied for revenge.

My marriage to Battōsai is happy, but it was based on a lie and revenge...he deserved better, and I was determined to make sure he gets his happiness, because he can never have it with me...not after everything I've done and what I did to lead up to this moment.

The Yaminobu had to be stopped, and I couldn't let Battōsai slay him and have them turn him back into a monster and have him executed. I had to save him, so that's when I made the ultimate sacrifice. I ran out and stabbed the leader in his chest, and in turn have Battōsai, my husband, second love, pierce through my body with his sword so I can repent for my sins and my crimes against him and set him free from our marriage as well as reunite with Akira.

It hurt a lot, but seeing Battōsai in tears hurt me more. I hurt him more for having him slay me with his sword when I got in his way to stop him from making a horrible mistake that almost killed him.

But I was also happy...he regained his humanity, he was saved.

But I feared that someday something might happen that might bring back Battōsai the Manslayer, whether from the government who might want him to kill again or old enemies that will come back for revenge, I had to protect this Battōsai and make sure that he has a future...I saw his sword and picked it up.

I gently sliced his cheek and crimson red blood streamed from it. People say that scars tell a story...the scar I gave my beloved is a reminder. It's to make sure that he never forgets the damage that the sword can do if it's used to kill or harm others, to remind him that he is free and while the government trained him to kill he can now defy them and make his own choice and is no longer their puppet, and that he never forgets me and that he is no longer Battōsai the Manslayer but Battōsai Himura...my husband, second love...and now and ordinary man.

...Forgive me for my lies and decete Battōsai...and never forget who you are now and strive to become better everday, help others and find someone new, find a woman who will be a better wife than I was and who can give you children when I never had the chance to make you a father like you wanted.

Never forget...Kenshin Himura...

* * *

 _ **R &R**_


End file.
